


Taking the Steps

by aeriamamaduck



Series: TES/DA Series [5]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Genre: Coping, Death, F/M, Family, Grief/Mourning, Loss of Parent(s), Original Character Death(s), Wakes & Funerals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-17
Updated: 2016-10-17
Packaged: 2018-08-22 22:53:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8304287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aeriamamaduck/pseuds/aeriamamaduck
Summary: A pregnant Minerva copes with the death of her parents and the aftermath.





	

Minerva bit her lip as she stared down at herself, eyes focused on the spot beneath her belly button, her back against the locked door of what used to be her room. 

She touched the spot with three fingertips, carefully pressing down as if any undue pressure would harm the baby. Nothing noticeable yet. If she figured correctly she had to be about a month along, but she wouldn’t know for sure until seeing a doctor.

Right. There was _that_ to figure out after her parents’ memorial service was over and done with, along with the meeting with their lawyer. And she still had a eulogy to give. She rolled down the black sweater she wore, taking a ragged breath before forcing herself back downstairs to the crowded living room. She’d already run to the bathroom when she could no longer ignore the persistent nausea just before the service was about to begin.

Thankfully everyone attributed her pallid face to grief, and there were only a handful of people who knew what was really going on. At least she’d made it through the short eulogy she managed to give just a short while ago. Something brief and so generic-sounding she thought people would call her out on it. It had mostly consisted of her saying how grateful her parents would have been to see their acquaintances gathered together—which would not have been the case since her parents weren’t much for hosting get-togethers—and her admiration of how they got through the early hardship of their lives.

Well, the latter part may have been true at least.

She twisted the doorknob, giving what used to be her bedroom a brief glance before opening the door and stepping back out to face her parents’ acquaintances downstairs in the living room.

The house was fuller than it had been in years, maybe decades, and there was enough food to feed Minerva, Martin, Fenris, and all three Hawkes, all of whom were mingling with the other guests.

There were the older friends who, for some reason, had to keep both of her hands in vice grips as they extended their _deepest_ condolences before expressing shock at the suddenness and violence of their deaths. Minerva was numb to it all, smiling at them and nodding tiredly as they talked. A few army friends who followed the same script but managed to add in that it was a shame Minerva decided against following in her parents’ footsteps and serving her country.

Her head began to pound and she had to close her eyes several times just to calm down and not run out of the house just to get away from these people.

It was the setback to being the only remaining living relative that most people knew of. Everyone was ignoring her Uncle Corim and his family. The foster care system had separated him and Minerva’s mother, and so they had been raised in different homes, estranged until Corim reached out to them when Minerva was in her teens. He was the only one to truly smile at Minerva without saying a word, and she was so grateful to him. As disconnected as he and her mother had been, Minerva wanted to cling to him and her cousin Helvedur as the only blood family she had left. Her stomach tensed and she remembered that that was not the case anymore.

A plate of macaroni and cheese found its way under her nose, and she turned to see Garrett holding it. He softly said, “I know you feel sick, but you really need to eat something before you fall over.”

She gave him a weary look as she took the plate. “Who made this? Because if it’s from Old Mrs. Sintav, you need to know that the woman can’t cook to save her life--”

“Your future father-in-law made it, if you must know,” Garrett replied dryly, taking her by the shoulders and moving her around to have her look at the front entrance, where she found Martin speaking in low tones with a much older man.

Minerva stared at them both, wide-eyed with shock and suddenly unable to breathe right. “Oh dear god he actually came.”

Garrett gave her a confused look. “What, you weren’t expecting him to? Martin introduced me to him while you were upstairs. He’s a really nice guy.”

It boded well that Garrett had a good opinion of the man, but that didn’t stop her stomach’s nervous clench and the insistent tapping of her foot. “Okay. Good. A really good guy…” She kept staring, unaware that a forkful of macaroni was still halfway between the plate and her mouth. Garrett moved her hand back down for her as she repeatedly told herself that at least it wasn’t Uriel Septim standing there.

“Yeah, and letting his homemade macaroni fall to the floor isn’t the best way to make a first impression.”

Minerva huffed and shoveled a few forkfuls of it into her mouth, a little surprised that it really was good. She gave Garrett the plate and hurriedly asked, “How do I look?”

He frowned at her again and hissed, “It’s your parents’ funeral, not a nightclub!”

She bit her lip again. He was right. She made sure her face was clean before beginning to make her way towards the two men. She stopped, however, and touched Garrett’s arm, looking at his face. “How are _you_ doing? And your mom and Bethy?”

Garrett sighed and she noticed the dark circles beneath his eyes for the first time. “…I’m okay…Mom isn’t talking much and Bethany’s sitting with her. It’s just…odd to be back in… _this_ place again. Funerals. Saying goodbye. Hearing people repeat the same tired condolences over and over about the people you loved…”

Minerva smiled at him, glad he understood, though still sorry that he had ever been in this position. “Thanks for being here.”

He shrugged and gave her a small grin. “Go on. I’m going to save this plate for you.”

She doubted she would ever be hungry again. She finally wove through the guests, glad no one stopped to speak to her, and kept thinking, _It’s just Martin’s dad. You were going to meet him eventually. It’s just Martin’s dad…and your baby’s grandfather…_

Martin and his father turned at her approach, their eyes softening when they looked at her, and Minerva tried to relax when Martin took her hand. She let him kiss her cheek and felt his hand settle over her hip, the gesture somehow perfect. “How are you doing?” he asked.

 _Terrible. Shitty. I wish this day would end._ She didn’t want to speak so in front of his father, not during their first meeting, at least. “I’m…still upright, at least.”

He smiled in understanding and turned them back to face the other man. “Minerva, this is my father, Lucius Jones. Dad, this is Minerva.”

Lucius, his sympathetic smile earnest, took Minerva’s hand in his and gave it a much gentler squeeze than anyone else had given her that day. “It’s good to meet you, my dear. I only wish it were under better circumstances. I am terribly sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you, Professor…Thank you for coming, it really _is_ good to finally meet you,” she said, hoping she’d only imagined the catch in her voice, hoping her nausea didn’t show, hoping she didn’t start crying. Sighing sharply she whispered to them both, “Do you mind if we go outside? It’s…too crowded.”

They couldn’t even begin to imagine how crowded it felt. This house was never meant for more than three people, and now it was fit to burst.

Martin quickly nodded. “Sure.” He led the way outside to the small porch, Minerva finally breathing with relief and managing to calm herself down. She unconsciously brought a hand to her stomach, her heart slamming in her chest at the sudden thought of being pregnant while all of this was happening and the sudden terror of anyone in the house realizing it.

“Have you seen a doctor yet?” she heard Lucius ask in a concerned tone.

She bit her lip, feeling a little guilty that she’d only put minimal thought into everything she needed to do for the baby. A rush of anxiety arrived like a flood at the thought of Lucius judging her for not taking proper care of his son’s baby. “…Not yet. It’s just been crazy the past few days, and then I have to meet with their lawyer tonight. But my best friend’s mom gave me a phone number, so I’ll schedule something for later on this week.”

Martin’s hand found her hip again and he softly said, “Just tell me when and I’ll drive you down there.”

She leaned into his body, closing her eyes and trying not to think about his father standing a foot away. “Thanks,” she breathed, thinking for the thousandth time how lucky she was that Martin was her baby’s father even if this was an entirely new situation for both of them. Minerva wanted so much to tell him how terrified she was, afraid of the coming months and what would happen once the baby was born, but first she wanted everyone out of her parents’ home before they could think to dole out parenting advice. That or outright disapproval, considering how high of a pedestal they tended to place her parents and their ideas. It was bad enough she hadn’t joined the army, now she was having a baby before marriage.

“There will be plenty of time for you two to worry about the future,” Lucius said gently. “For now, just take care of yourself, my dear. Loss isn’t easy to overcome.”

Minerva thought of the photographs she had seen of Martin’s adoptive mother, and of how frightened he must have been when Martin had been hurt in that awful accident. Her father would have told her to get over whatever turmoil was going through her head, but Lucius was nothing like her father. “Thank you,” she said sincerely, even if she couldn’t quite muster up a smile. “I should probably head back inside and…interact with people.”

Martin heard how little she wanted to do that. “Say as much or as little as you want,” he said with a brief kiss to her cheek. “It’ll be over soon.”

She gave him a tired smile and put a hand on her stomach. “Hopefully your baby behaves long enough for me to get through it.” She took a breath to once again steady herself and turned to return to the guests, somehow managing not to hesitate before turning the knob and opening the door.


End file.
